Freight-car.



No. 657,02l. Patented Aug. 2s, |900.

W. A. CASWELL.

FREIGHT CAR.

(Application led Apr.A 30, 1900.) (No Modei.) 4 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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No. 657,02I. Patented Aug. 28, |900. W. A. CASWELL.

FREIGHT CAR.

(Application led Apr. 30, 1900.) (No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 2.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. OASWELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FREIGHT-CAR.

SPECIFICATION 'forming part of Letters Patent No. 657,021, dated August 28, 1900.

Application filed April 30, 1900. Serial No. 14,830. (No mcdel.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. CAswELL, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Freight-Cars, of` which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the construction of railroad dump-cars adapted to carry either coal, grain, gravel, or other material in mass or miscellaneous freight, the car having a fiat iioor coextensive with its dimensions and such licor embracing a series of trap-doors through which freight carried in mass may be discharged. The invention is an improvement on the construction set forth in my Patent No. 645,587, of March 20, 1900, and is fully set forth in the description given below, and also illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which latter--v Figure l. is a transverse vertical section of a car embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a partial longitudinal section. Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged partial vertical sections showing the supports for the swinging side of the trap-doors.

In said drawings, A represents the walls of the body of a gondola or similar car; B, its iioor; O O, the trap-doors in the floor; D D, the side sills; E E, the intermediate sills; F F, the center sills, and Gthe cross beams or headers.

The doors are supported upon one side by hinges II, and are raised to their closed positions by chains J, attached at their ends to winding-shafts K and passing over pulleys L, supported by the headers. The chains are attached to arms M, secured to the doors. The chains and pulleys are both located slightly outside the path of the doors in order that they may catch little or none of the material which is discharged through the doors. The swinging side of the doors is supported by swinging arms or latches N, mounted upon a square rock-shaft O, operable by hand from the ends of the car and supported upon the adjacent center sill F. The latches are provided at their upper ends with antifriction-rollers P, and such rollers, instead of coming against the door or bearing-pieces thereon, as in my former construction, now come against movable lifters R,

hinged to sill F at S. These lifters have an inclined surface R', in which is formed a recess or seat T for the roller I), and they also have a hook W at the pivoted end into which the roller moves when the lifter and arm N both swing to the position indicated in dotted lines at Fig. 3, so as to allow the opening of the door. When moving from the dotted to the full line position, the roller P moves in contact with the inclined surface of the lifter from the hook to the seat T, and gradually raises the lifter and with it the door until the latter is iiush with the iioor of the car. The

lifter is fully under the control of the supporting-latch N, as the roller P compels it to move to the dotted position and out of the way of the door when the latch is swung inward and the door is opened, and likewise compels it to move outward and yinto supporting position under the closed door when the latch is swung outward.

In the preferred construction the latches or arms N are duplicated at each end of the rollerPin a U -shaped casting, as clearly illustratedat Fig. 4, and the open space between the duplicate arms gives room for the body of the lifters when they move from under the door. The bearing-piece X, in which the rock-shaft O and lifter-pivot are supported, is also preferably U-shaped, as shown.

The doors O along their swinging sides are provided with top plates 5 and bottom plates 6, the latter having upward flanges 7, partially covering the edge of the door. These ssv plates are bolted or riveted together by bolts or rivets 8. I also provide the edge of the door with an inserted piece of rubber 9, which projects under and forms a close joint with a similar projecting piece of rubber l0, let into the abutting edge of the floor B. These contacting pieces entirely close the crack between the door and the floor over the liftcrs and supporting-arms, so that no dust, dirt, or moisture can find its way therethrough and lodge on those parts or where it can interfere with their operation. The under plate supports the rubber 9 and also forms va good wearing-surface to oppose the lifter.

In the practical use of my invention itwill be found that in cases where the chains fail to raise the door so that it is perfectly flush with the fioor the lifters and latches will com- IOO plete the operation', the roller P by moving along the under inclined surface of the lifter serving to gradually force the door up to its proper position.

The doors are hinged to the car-sill by hinges which maintain a close joint between those parts whether the door is open or closed. The pintle 12 is inclosed in barrels 13 throughout its length, and the barrel or barrels on one leaf are encountered or opposed by risers l- L on the other leaf, such risers tting the exterior of the barrels an'dhaving' an equal height therewith, both coming iush with the door-surface. The pintles are located in the center plane of the door, and consequently no material can lodge in the joint, so as to prevent closing or cause a straining of the hinge when the door is closed.

I claim- 1. The combination with a trap-door and its supporting latch or arm N, of a movable lifter R, interposed between the latch and the door, substantially as specified.

2. The combination with a trap-door and a supportin g arm or latch N movable under the door `and supported upon the car-sill, and a lifter R pivoted to the sill and swinging with said arm, substantially as specified.

3. The combination with the trap-door and its supporting latch or arm N, of a lifter R pivoted stationarily and swinging into position between the arm and the door, substantially as specified.

4. The combination with the trap-door and its supporting-arm N, of a pivoted lifter controlled by the arm and movable into position between the arm and door, substantially as specified.

5. The combination with the trap-door, of swinging latches setting under the swinging edge of the door, and litters moved into position by the latches and serving to raise the door to its proper normal level, substantially as specied.

6. The combination with the trap-door, of a 'swinging latch setting under the swinging edge of the door, and a lifter pivoted stationarily and having an inclined surface R in contact with which the latch moves and whereby it is enabled t-o raise the door to its proper position, substantially as specified.

7. The combinationwith the trap-door, of a swinging latch setting under the swinging edge of the door, and a lifter pivoted stationarily and having an inclined surface R and a hook W, substantially as specified. i

8. The combination of latches N made U- shaped with litters R swinging into the open spaces of the latches, substantially as specified.

9. The trap-door having a bottom plate 6, in combination with lifter R and the latcharms operating said lifter, substantially as specified.

10. The trap-door for dumping-cars having the inserted projecting rubber 9, and the metal flanged bottom plate 6, the flange of the plate supporting the rubber, substantially as specified.

11. The dump-car provided with a trapdoor hinged to its floor by hinges, the leaves of which are provided with barrels 13 inclosing the pintle, and risers 14 countering the barrels, both the barrels and risers coming flush with the car-floor, substantially as specified.

WILLIAM A. CASWELL. lWitnesses:

L. E. CURTIS, EDW. S. EvARTs. 

